This invention relates to an improved portable orthopedic seat unit insert for providing support for the lower back of the sitter and for relieving lower-back discomfort.
A great many people find regular chairs and sofas uncomfortable and ordinary automobile seats unbearable. For example, for a long cross-country flight in a commercial airline, although many people may find the seats sufficiently comfortable, there are also many who find them unduly uncomfortable and view the taking of such a trip as a very difficult experience. Similarly, many people find that their automobile seats lack comfort; most people put up with the discomfort, but those who have a back problem find riding in such seats very difficult, and they often find prolonged driving to be an excruciating experience.
Seat inserts have heretofore generally been provided for the purpose of obtaining ventilation to the rear of or under the sitter, or to provide mere cushioning, but were only rarely directed to the orthopedic problem. Most of them have generally provided merely a flat back portion and a flat seat portion hinged together; they sought no special approach for support of the lower back and therefore usually had no special shaping.
The present invention is an improvement on that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,337 (Ross et al.) which discloses and claims a portable folding orthopedic seat unit having a pair of oval back-support pads adjustably mounted with latching members to a single central vertical bar, disposed at an angle to the back of a seat pad. This device had many good qualities and provided the needed back support when used with many chairs and seating units. However, the unit was quite heavy and therefore somewhat difficult for users to carry, especially if they were elderly or infirm. A specific problem was that the means for adjustably securing the back pads to the back member was particularly heavy and somewhat awkward in use. Another problem was that a specific design would be required for bucket seats, and each bucket seat would have required a different, specially shaped seat unit. Otherwise, the seat member of the unit would be suspended between the raised edges of many types of bucket seats which the unit was not specifically designed for.
Ross' U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,337 also showed a seat unit having a pair of back-support pads held together at their backs by a connecting member, which in turn was adjustably attached to a narrow, uncovered back frame. Each pad had mounting members which cooperated with reciprocal openings in the frame, which combined to provide several spaced apart adjustment heights for the pads. The pads, however, were not adjustable to every point over the length of the frame and the process of adjusting them was somewhat difficult.
These and other problems are solved in the present invention.
An important object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight portable orthopedic seat insert which greatly adds to the comfort of the sitter, especially one having back problems.
Another object is to provide a readily portable folding seat insert which can be taken aboard planes, put in automobiles, and generally moved from place to place, being both compact and light in weight, while also convenient to carry.
A further object is to provide an orthopedic seat insert that enables convenient adjustment of support pads to any desired height along its back for each individual and at any time, for quickly providing support where needed.
Still another object of the invention is to devise a light-weight mechanism having a minimum of heavy metal parts for adjustably mounting the back-support pads on a portable seat to a precise position.
Yet another object is to provide an orthopedic seat insert which comfortably fits into all shapes of bucket seats as well as with other types of seats.
Another object is to provide a novel back-support pad construction for increasing the comfort and support of an orthopedic seat.
Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.